Fade Into You
by DandelionSunset
Summary: After moving to Panem at the age of 10, Peeta becomes best friends with Prim Everdeen and develops a crush on her older sister, Katniss. When tragedy strikes years later, with the sudden death of the sisters' parents, he takes it upon himself to help out as much as possible. As Peeta gets older, his crush fades into something more and Katniss finds herself falling for him too.


Disclaimer: All characters used within this story, along with several plot elements, are from The Hunger Games series, which is owned by Suzanne Collins. I'm just borrowing them for a while, and am making no monetary gain. :)

* * *

 _Chapter One_

 **Meeting the Everdeens**

Peeta could vividly remember the first day he met the Everdeen sisters—in fact, he could recall the exact date, time, and place. It was August 5th, at half past three, at the town fair. He was ten-years-old and new to the town of Panem, having moved there two months prior. His parents were in the process of growing their new business, and this event was a perfect opportunity to introduce the goods of Mellark Bakery to the locals.

He and his brothers had helped in the booth that morning—Peeta having the tedious duty of putting everything in its proper package—until a little after noon, when they all became restless and hot and their parents, growing tired of their incessant whining, told them to go make new friends and have fun. Peeta's brothers ran off as soon as the words were uttered, leaving Peeta standing alone by himself. His brothers were two and three years older than him, so he was used to this. Still, he wished this one time would be different—he didn't know anyone there.

After walking around aimlessly, he finally found something of interest: a small petting zoo. Seeing no one around, he approached the fence and began petting a particularly friendly white goat.

"Hi there, little fellow," he greeted softly, smiling ear to ear as the goat nuzzled its snout against the back of his hand. "My name's Peeta. I wonder what your name is…."

He reached over to lift the tag on its collar, but before he could read it, a girl's voice answered behind him, "Lady."

With a startled jump, Peeta turned around to face her. She looked to be around his age, her blond hair in two braids and her blue eyes bright and friendly. Peeta must have looked confused because she shrugged and elaborated, "Her name is Lady. She's my pet goat. She likes people, so we bring her out for the fair. It's nice seeing others love her as much as I do." She came to stand beside him and scratched the goat behind its ears. "My name's Prim, by the way. Prim Everdeen."

"My name's—"

"Peeta," Prim acknowledged, turning her head to smile at him. "I overheard you talking to Lady. You're new here, right? Your family recently opened the bakery?"

Peeta nodded nervously, reaching up to smooth the sweaty curls from his forehead. "Yeah. Mellark Bakery… um, you should come by sometime."

"I already have," she informed, "and I definitely will again. You have the _best_ cupcakes and my sister really loves your cheese buns. You know you're only a couple houses down from us?"

Peeta shook his head. "No, I didn't, but I haven't really met anyone here yet."

"Well, you just met _me_ ," she replied brightly. "And you like Lady, so I already like you."

And just like that, with a warm smile exchanged, an instant friendship formed between them.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about all their favorite things, and much to Peeta's delight they had quite a bit in common. They discovered they were in the same grade, and even better, they'd be in the same homeroom for the upcoming year. Peeta was grateful to find a pal in someone as inviting and enthusiastic as Prim. He had a hard enough time making friends at his last school, being as quiet and shy as he was, and he'd been dreading the first day of school. The thought of starting over was daunting, but it seemed a bit more promising now that he had at least one friend.

He brought Prim by the bakery booth, introduced her to his parents—who were busy but pleasant in their greetings all the same, and then retrieved two chocolate cupcakes for the both of them.

They sat on a bench, eating their sweets under the welcoming shade of an oak tree, when Prim's eyes widened all of a sudden. With a grin, she practically squealed with delight, "Katniss! She's onstage now. Come on!"

Before he could ask or even react, she grabbed his hand and they swiftly made their way through a small crowd until they were standing in front of a stage. Sitting alone in the very center, holding an acoustic guitar in her lap, was a girl who looked to be in her mid-teens. She had a very poised look about her, as if she'd done this sort of thing numerous times before.

Peeta was young but he wasn't blind to the beauty of girls. He thought Prim was very pretty. The girl onstage, however, with her dark hair plaited in one long braid that fell over her shoulder, her bright gray eyes alight with the reflection of the setting sun, her glistening olive skin… well, Peeta thought she was absolutely stunning. In fact, he felt his stomach come alive with butterflies when the girl gazed in his direction, smiled, and gave a small wave.

Prim waved back enthusiastically, quickly informing him, "That's my sister, Katniss. Just _wait_ until you hear her sing! She's won contests before, you know? That's how I got Lady. Last year, she won and spent all her prize money on buying her for my birthday."

"That was really nice of her," Peeta mumbled. "My brothers usually just give me their old toys—"

His words were cut short as Prim's sister, Katniss, began to strum her guitar and sing the sweetest, entrancing song he'd ever heard. No, actually, it wasn't the song—it was _her_. The song was just lucky enough to be sung by her. She really could've sung anything and it would've sounded just as exquisite to him.

"Told you so," Prim stated proudly from beside him, though his eyes were glued to the stage. "She's amazing isn't she?"

"Very pretty," Peeta replied, nodding, then added quickly with flaming cheeks, "Her singing, I mean. She has a very pretty voice."

"She also _looks_ pretty too," Prim said lowly with a giggle, as if telling him a secret. " _All_ the boys think so. It's okay if you do, too. I warn you, though, you'll have a lot of competition."

"She's okay looking, I guess, but she's kind of old," Peeta shrugged and finally took his eyes off her, letting them fall to the ground. "Um… anyways, I should probably be getting back to my parents—"

"Oh, right now? Do you have to? I really wanted to introduce you. She's almost done…?" Prim looked at him expectantly, pouting her bottom lip.

Peeta's gut tightened at the thought of speaking to the beauty on stage, but he also didn't want to offend or lose his new friend. Besides, he _did_ introduce her to his parents. It'd be a bit rude to rush off when Prim wanted to introduce him to her family.

"I guess I can stay a bit longer. It'll be a little while before they pack up anyway," he answered quietly, mustering a shaky smile.

Prim's face brightened at his reply. "Great! And don't worry, okay? She's really nice."

Peeta didn't know what to say so he just nodded and prayed that he wouldn't become a bumbling fool when the time came.

After about ten minutes passed, a country band began playing some hokey tune as Katniss made her way towards them. Peeta felt he might pass out from nerves as Prim ran over to her sister and hugged her tightly around the waist, which she happily returned. With a curious grin, her eyes met Peeta's.

"I see you made a new friend," Katniss stated as Prim finally let go.

Prim nodded quickly, taking her sister's hand in hers and leading her over to stand right in front of Peeta. He knew he should say something, yet found himself completely tongue-tied. His face was deep red, and it had nothing at all to do with the heat. Now that Katniss was so close to him, he felt like a complete child. She was at least a foot taller than he was.

"Katniss, this is Peeta Mellark. His family owns the bakery down the street from us," Prim introduced. "He's super nice. Oh, and we're going to be in the same class! Isn't that cool?"

"That's awesome," Katniss replied, looking amused at her sister's excitement. Giving a small wave of her hand, she smiled and greeted kindly, "Hi, Peeta! Nice to meet you. I hope you've been enjoying our little town so far."

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I, uh, haven't really gone anywhere besides the bakery and here, but it seems really nice," he managed, his voice trembling. "It's, um, good to meet you too."

"Ooh! I'll show you all the cool places. There's a really great lake to swim in off this old dirt road, and not many people know about it. Katniss can take us!" Prim states, raising her eyebrows hopefully at her sister. "Please? We haven't gone swimming in like a _week_."

"Thanks, but—" Peeta began to mumble, but Katniss answered before he could finish.

"Of course I can," she said. "I'm always looking for a reason to drive. Besides, this heat has been terrible and I could really go for a swim. I'm kind of busy for the rest of the evening, but maybe tomorrow? You're more than welcome to come, Peeta. If it's okay with your parents."

His eyes widened at being put on the spot. Of course he wanted to go swimming; he _loved_ swimming. But he also knew his brothers would either tease him for having friends who were girls, or worse, they'd try to tag along. Besides that, he was already nervous standing in the vicinity of a fully-clothed Katniss, never mind seeing her clad in only a swimsuit. Then again, he _had_ been cooped up in the bakery for the last few weeks, dreaming of some sort of outside social interaction. If he turned this down, who knows if he'd ever be asked again.

"Um, sure. I'd like that," Peeta replied, averting his gaze to his feet. "I'll ask my parents tonight. I think it'll be okay with them."

"Great! I hope they say yes. Our house is the white one with the green door and shutters on the corner. You can come by anytime," Prim said in an excited rush. "I'd give you our number, but I don't have a pen or paper—"

"Um, I have a pen," Peeta offered, quickly retrieving it from his front pocket. He held it out for Prim, but was startled when Katniss took it. She then flipped his hand over in hers.

"Mind if I write my cell number on your hand?" she asked. Peeta didn't trust himself to speak so he simply nodded. "I'll give you our home number too, but it's probably best to call me directly. I always answer, and Prim and I are outside most of the time."

"If you can get through, with all the boys calling her—"

"Whatever, Prim," Katniss dismissed with a roll of her eyes as she wrote the two numbers on the top of Peeta's hand, "I'm doing you and your little boyfriend here a favor."

"He's not my _boyfriend_! He's just a boy that's my _friend_ ," Prim quickly clarified. "Don't make things weird."

"Yeah, what she said," Peeta added quietly. His face was so hot he felt as if it might burst into flames any second.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Katniss said, but the knowing smile on her face said otherwise. "Anyways, if you can come swimming with us tomorrow just call or text before noon. That's when we'll probably be heading out that way."

Peeta nodded, feeling incredibly awkward, and then looked pointedly over his shoulder.

"I, uh, should probably get back to my parents now."

After all, he did _not_ want his brothers to come looking for him. He could only imagine the many ways in which they'd purposely embarrass him.

"Thanks for sticking around," Prim said. "I hope to see you tomorrow!"

He nodded once more in farewell and walked away as casually as he could, though he really felt like running. He could hear Katniss saying something to Prim, and Prim telling her to 'shut up'. He didn't have to hear their conversation to know what it was about.

He wouldn't chicken out, though. He'd go with them tomorrow. He was sure his parents would say yes, as they'd been telling him to go make friends for weeks now, but he'd go to his bedroom instead and entertain himself there. He wasn't good at making friends, but today… he suddenly _had_. Without effort. It was a bit surreal to him.

He didn't care that Prim was a girl, he was just happy to have a friend.

He didn't quite understand what he felt for her sister, just that it was substantially different than being around Prim or any other girl. It didn't really matter, though. She probably had a boyfriend and tons of boys waiting in line, plus she was way too old for him. He'd just have to get over it, whatever 'it' was.

* * *

That night, he managed to find his dad without his brothers around, and took the chance to ask if he could go swimming with some local kids. His father gave him a sly look and asked if one of those 'local kids' was 'the pretty little blond girl' he'd been hanging out with all day. Peeta answered yes, but that she was _only_ his friend. When his dad said he could go, he felt a rush of excitement and anxiety. He wanted to go, but he had also half hoped that the answer would be no.

Now he had no excuses.

Before he could make any up, he dared himself to pick up the phone and dial Katniss' number. When she answered, his gut tightened with dread and he debated for a split second whether or not he should hang up.

"Peeta? You there?" Caller ID. Of _course_ she had caller ID. He suddenly felt very relieved he hadn't hung up. "Hello…?"

"Um, yeah, hi," Peeta stammered and covered his eyes in embarrassment. "I just… I was calling to say it was okay. You know, with my parents… about the swimming thing tomorrow?"

"Oh, right— _stop it Caleb, I'm on the phone_ —swimming tomorrow. That's great! Prim will be so happy to hear you can go. One sec, okay?" Katniss replied distractedly. Peeta could hear noise in the background—loud music, people talking and laughing. It sounded like she was at a party or something. He chewed nervously on his bottom lip as he waited for Katniss to speak again, but all he could hear was a muffled scrape against the receiver, a low mumble, and a dampened giggle. Peeta had the distinct, awkward feeling that he'd interrupted something. Something with a guy named _Caleb_.

He sighed and felt like hanging up; after all, what more was there to say? He'd only called to say that he could go. He definitely didn't call to hear Prim's older sister making out with some guy.

"Hey little dude," a guy greeted with a laugh in his tone. Peeta remained silent, his jaw clenching at hearing Katniss pleading for her phone in the background. "You plannin' on skinny dipping with my girl?"

"No," Peeta replied with a sneer, "I'm only _ten_."

"Boners have no rules when it comes to age, my friend," the guy replied with a boisterous guffaw. Peeta remained silent. He didn't know this _Caleb_ guy, but he already knew he didn't like him one bit. He wanted to retort that he wasn't 'his friend' in any sense, and that Katniss deserved way more respect than that. But then again, he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. After all, he only met Katniss for a few minutes. And besides, who would listen to a ten-year-old anyway?

He was just about to hang up when he heard Katniss again.

"Peeta? Hey, are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Ugh, I'm so sorry about that. Caleb, uh, isn't really himself right now..."

"Drunk?" Peeta deadpanned.

"Something like that. Please don't tell my parents?" she pleaded with panic in her tone.

"I won't. I don't even know your parents yet," Peeta pointed out. "I just called to tell you I could go swimming."

"Right. Thank you so much, Peeta I owe you one. We're going to have a lot of fun tomorrow, okay? I'm even bringing stuff for a picnic. It'll only be me, you, and Prim. She _really_ likes you, you know," Katniss said as cheerfully as she could, though he could tell she was still distracted by whatever was going on around her.

"Yeah, I like her a lot too. As a _friend_ ," he stated quickly, feeling agitated at the insinuation. "This, um, isn't a date or anything. I just want to swim."

"Oh, I know," Katniss replied dismissively. "Prim said that, too. Anyways, just come over to our house before noon with a pair of swim trunks, alright?"

"Sure," he said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

* * *

At 11 AM the next day Peeta found himself at the Everdeens' front door, his hand poised to knock. Before he could, however, the door swung open to reveal Prim already dressed in a modest pink swimsuit and a pair of brown shorts. She grinned excitedly and quickly wrapped her arms around him. Peeta patted her on the back a bit awkwardly, his other arm holding a package from the bakery.

"I'm so glad you came! I didn't think you would," Prim stated. "Katniss said you called last night and her bandmates were messing with you on the phone. I'm really sorry about that. They can be really annoying. Trust me, I know."

"It's okay, no big deal." Peeta shrugged and held the bakery package out to her. "Um, here's some cheese buns from the bakery. I thought you guys might like them." Prim's eyes lit up and her smile widened—if it was even possible—and Peeta felt a surge of pride. He'd made that specific batch all by himself.

"Thank you! You're so nice," Prim said as she stepped back and allowed Peeta to enter the house.

It wasn't very big, but it was cozy. The furniture didn't match, family pictures hung on every inch of the wall, along with drawings and things that Prim and Katniss had made over the years. Random knick-knacks filled shelves and tabletops. It was a chaotic mismatch of sentiment, and he found it comforting. It was the total opposite of his house, where his mother always kept things neat and orderly, the only pictures on the walls were framed art prints, and she'd rather buy an entire new couch set than settle for one item being mismatched.

Prim called out for her sister at the end of a narrow hallway before turning to Peeta again.

"You wanna meet my parents?" she asked, but it was evidently rhetorical. Before he could answer, she began leading him through the kitchen, placing the cheese buns on the dining room table, and then exited to the backyard. It was more like a mini-farm, however. Of course there was Lady, Prim's goat, but they also had chickens, roosters, rabbits, and even a cow. A small beagle ran up to the two of them, dropped a stick from its mouth, and began barking.

"Does he bite?" Peeta immediately asked.

"Bella? Oh no, she's gentle as can be. She just wants to play," Prim reassured. She then took the stick and tossed it to the other end of the yard, which the dog happily bounded after.

They soon found Prim's parents picking vegetables in their garden. He could tell where each of the girls got their features—their mom was slim but curvy, with bright blue eyes and long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, and their dad was stout, with curly black hair, olive skin, and light gray eyes.

"This is Peeta, you know, the boy I told you about last night?" Prim introduced. "Peeta, this is my mom and dad, obviously."

"Well, it's nice to meet you boy," her father greeted jovially, wiping his hand on his jeans before extending it to him. Peeta shook it, and although he was trembling with nerves, the firmness of Mr. Everdeen's handshake overshadowed it and put him quickly at ease.

"Nice to meet you both, too," Peeta replied in a respectful manner.

"You look just like your daddy when he was your age," Mrs. Everdeen stated with a warm smile, her hands on her hips. "It's so good he came back to his roots. I've been meaning to pay y'all a visit, maybe bring over a dish of something, maybe a bag of fresh veggies, but the animals and the garden have been keeping me busy these days. I figured I'd wait till y'all got settled in first, in any case. What a delight that Prim ran into you at the fair, though! Seems you two hit it off pretty fast. Just like me and your daddy when we were kids. You're always welcome around here, so don't be a stranger, okay? Our door is always open."

Peeta nodded, feeling overwhelmed by how welcoming and friendly the Everdeens were. He didn't know what he'd expected, maybe a simple wave or hello, but Prim's parents seemed to show genuine interest in him. Usually adults just sort of brushed him aside. He was also surprised to hear that his dad had grown up in this town and had been friends with Mrs. Everdeen. Up until now, he thought they'd simply moved to some random town.

"Hey! You two ready?" Katniss hollered from the back porch.

"Be back before sundown," Mr. Everdeen said as Prim and Peeta turned to walk towards the house, "be safe, and stay out of trouble!"

"We will, we will!" Prim assured before breaking into a sprint, which Peeta tried to keep up with.

Once they reached the porch, Peeta leaned onto a railing to catch his breath. This gave him time to get a good look at Katniss. She was wearing the same basic swimsuit that Prim was, except in a dark shade of green, paired with cut-off jean shorts. The thing was, Prim didn't have the curves that Katniss had—and Katniss had _a lot_. Peeta caught himself staring at the ample curves of her chest, which the swimsuit only accentuated, but quickly averted his gaze once he noticed Katniss was looking right at him with her eyebrows raised. He felt his whole body heat up and the tremble of nerves overcome him again.

"Alright you two, lets load everything up and get this day started!" she announced enthusiastically. "Oh, and thanks for bringing over the cheese buns, Peeta! Hope it's okay, but I already had one. They're absolutely _delicious_."

"You're welcome," Peeta replied earnestly. "I made them myself!"

"Is that so? Well, we're going to have to keep you around here then," Katniss said, giving him a wink. "Women love thoughtful men who can cook."

"I'd learn to cook _anything_ for you!" Peeta blurted without thinking. His eyes widened and his cheeks burned as he quickly added, "and Prim… and your parents. I like cooking, well baking mostly, but I can cook too. Cooking is fun."

Katniss nodded and smiled approvingly, then turned to open the refrigerator. As she began placing dishes of wrapped food onto the table for them to carry out to the car, Prim leaned into Peeta and whispered with amusement, "Nice save."

* * *

 **AN:** Hey! So here's another story; this plotbunny wouldn't leave me alone. I originally intended on this only being a one-shot, but the plotbunny kept breeding. Anyways, I hope you like the introduction! It's basically just a set-up for what's to come, and I promise it'll get a whole lot better/exciting. The summary is only a tiny bit of what to expect. ;) I'm really excited to finally write and share this with you guys! A big thank you to all the awesome ladies on tumblr who encouraged me to go forward with this, and also to everyone who has taken the time to read. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story - it's always nice to know people are interested in reading more. :) You can also find/message me on tumblr at **dandelion-sunset**.

PS: I thought I should clarify that Peeta is 10 and Katniss is 16 in this first chapter, but nothing romantically happens between them until Peeta is nearly 18 and Katniss is in her 20s, until then it'll only be a deep crush (and flirting) on Peeta's part, and a growing friendship between them.


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